Lie to me
by Sad Olive
Summary: He couldn't keep his promise but in that moment, that very last moment, the pain didn't matter. They were finally together. **Winner for Best Angst OneShot in the 2013 Klaroline Awards**
1. Chapter 1

**Dear readers, I'm not really sure what inspired me to write this OS but I will warn you that it is dark and tragic. If you're looking for fluff I suggest you don't read this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to TVD. **

Nothing lasts forever. It was the very thought that filled Caroline's mind as she drove through the ruins of her hometown. Most of it had been destroyed by the fires, and if not by the flames then by the angry mobs.

Three years since graduation and she had barely seen the world with the exception of moving into the famous New York City. She was thankful she was still in the States when it began. Before the broadcasting system failed, the last she heard was that nearly all of Europe was underwater and there was no doubt in her mind that Matt and Rebekah, who were simply enjoying their annual trip, had faced the watery grave with it. He had called her a month ago and she could hear the smile in his voice as he described all he had seen. He was happy with Rebekah and she with him. He joked how having an Original as a tour guide was like winning the lottery and it only made Caroline think of a blonde hybrid. She shook her head hard as she continued to drive. The world ending was just too much to swallow and right now she was facing it alone.

Her only hope was that Klaus was still alive. If she could just see him one last time then she knew she wouldn't be so afraid of the end.

She drove past the Salvatore boarding house and remembered she was at a party with some college friends when she heard about California. The massive earthquake crumbled away most of western America and when the phones stopped working she knew she had lost Elena, Damon, and her best friend, Stefan, he was the only person who'd listen to her dark secrets. Her and Elena were fighting the last time they spoke and now she would never have the chance to apologize.

Tears formed in eyes at the thought.

She was, however, thankful that Tyler managed to leave a voicemail on her phone. Even though they were no together, he told her she was the love of his life and that he hoped he would be able to find her before it was impossible.

He never did find her and Caroline wept for him because, after all, he was her first.

The past three years were busy for her. She had occupied herself with a few semesters of college and any type of extracurricular activities that went along with her bubbly attitude. At one point she went on a mission trip to New Orleans and during her short time there she debated on calling the Original King but then ultimately decided she wasn't ready.

Except now she was – _however long it takes _– now she was ready and it was too late.

As she continued to weave the car through fallen streetlights and abandoned cars, she hoped he was still alive. She hoped he'd be in Mystic Falls because it was his hometown too. It was the only thing she was betting on. It was the only thing about him she could hold onto.

In a few hours the sun would rise. It wouldn't be a problem except during the past four days, since the start of the end, she noticed her daylight ring hadn't been as effective as it should had been so she worked her way through the States only at night.

She desperately wanted to find anyone she knew, anyone she loved. The last she heard from Jeremy he still lived in Mystic Falls. However, when she drove past that part of town she knew her friend was no more.

Still, the worst part was not being able to find her mother. She couldn't even remember the last time they had seen each other.

It was just too much. It couldn't be the end. She wanted to do so many things, to see so many things. She had been looking forward to his promise and now she was just searching for him.

_Please be alive. _

**:**

**:**

Klaus choked back an angry sob as he pounded his fist against the stone of the caves. He let out a humorless laugh as he realized that even after all his efforts of trying to create a family, of protecting his family, he was utterly alone.

The last thing he remembered feeling was the tight grasp of his daughter's hand around his finger, and how she slipped away when the first levee broke. The first person to ever love him completely was washed away before his eyes. It all happened so fast and even though he searched for his little girl, hybrid as he was, he still was no match against the ocean's apocalyptic tides. Elijah pulled him away to save him as a big brother would, thinking that it was just a tragic loss, not the beginning of the end.

They couldn't get in touch with Rebekah and for the first time ever Klaus regretted ever fighting with his baby sister. The world was falling apart. Monuments were crumbling, cities were sinking, and there was absolutely no solution.

Before the earthquakes started, Klaus received a call from Stefan. It was a goodbye between brothers but it also left him with a sense of hope. _If you find her, Klaus…..you should know, the way she spoke about you, I think you were it for her. She didn't know it then but…..just find her Klaus. Don't let her go without knowing. _

Stefan's words gave him and Elijah a new sense of purpose amidst the chaos of everything falling to pieces. They too realized that their daylight rings were no match against the ever enlarging sun so they traveled at night. It was the closest Klaus had ever been to Elijah. The past four days had given them the chance to forgive each other properly, to know peace and to finally appreciate family.

Klaus sank to the floor and held his face in his hands as he remembered the last moments of his brother's life. The sun was chasing them and they find themselves running in the woods. _Get to the caves! _Elijah ordered from behind him. _Niklaus, go! _They were both turned on the very same day but in the end an Original hybrid was faster than an Original vampire.

Klaus had thrown himself into the darkness of the caves, turning around at the same moment to see his brother's lifeless body only a few yards away from him.

**:**

**:**

As she stumbled through the half-charred forest, her thoughts became only focused on him. Caroline couldn't remember the last time she slept or the last time she fed. She couldn't recall the last time she smiled or experienced anything normal.

_However long it takes._

The mantra in her mind was the only thing that convinced her to keep moving forward. He had to be in Mystic Falls. If he wasn't, then she would die alone and that possibility scared her more than what was happening around her.

She could feel the strength within her waning. The moonlight was barely helpful as she wandered and then she wondered if she was wrong. If somehow he hadn't made it and even if he did, why would he return?

She was about to turn around but then she tripped over something. Recognizing it as a body, she wasn't surprised as she had seen and smelled numerous corpses since the start of the end but then she squinted her eyes.

The sight of his dead brother terrified her. She staggered to her feet and looked around desperately hoping she wouldn't see his body in the same lifeless state. When she didn't see any sign of him her eyes landed on one the cave openings and her heart lurched in her chest, giving her the last bit of energy to run to what she needed.

**:**

**:**

Klaus glanced up above him at the sky opening of the cave. The stars were brighter than normal and he couldn't see the moon. Apart from the crackle of the burning embers of the woods, it was quiet. His eyes settled on one of the cave walls and he stared at nothing. Everything was nothing. There was nothing to look at, nothing to hold onto, nothing to say goodbye to.

"I thought I would never see you again."

At the sound of her voice Klaus shot up from where he was sitting and ran over to her, stealing her in a hug that made her cry even harder.

"I thought I would never see you again," she repeated breathlessly, grasping onto him.

Klaus closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair. "Caroline." Just saying her name gave them both a sense of comfort they hadn't felt in too long. "Caroline," he said again because they were both at loss at what to say next. This was the first time they had ever embraced each other.

**:**

**:**

Klaus had his arms wrapped around Caroline as they sat on the floor gazing at each other.

"I knew you would be here," she said to him.

"In this very cave?" he teased, finally giving them a reason to both smile.

She lightly shoved at his chest but then let her hand remain resting there. "I'm glad you're here," she continued, "I'm glad it's you that I see last."

He grimaced at the truth of her words. It would indeed be the last they saw of each other. He ran his fingers through her hair and chuckled. "I told you I intended to be the last."

She scoffed, first laughing at his comment but then without warning her laughter turned into great heaving sobs that she tried to bury in his chest.

"I'm sorry, love," he said as he held her tighter.

"It's my fault," she choked back her tears and looked up at him again. "It's my fault I didn't go to you sooner. We could have seen it all by now. Paris and Rome and Tokyo. I'm ready now but all this started happening and I'm too late. I'm too late." She gasped at the realization, her eyes widening. "Klaus I'm so sorry."

"No," he stopped her from speaking by cradling her face. "Don't apologize Caroline. I don't regret anything so neither should you." And he didn't. If everything that happened between them led up to this moment of him holding her, of her seeking him because she wanted and needed him, he wouldn't change anything. He took note of the fear in her eyes. "Caroline, do you want me to—"

She recognized that look and at it she frantically shook her head. "No. No compulsion. Please," she whispered.

He nodded but the sight of her so afraid made him feel so powerless because all he wanted to do was make her feel safe, even if her safety was impossible. "What can I do?"

Caroline let herself get lost in the deep blue of his eyes before she spoke again. She could only imagine the kind of life she could have had with him and then she didn't just want to imagine it anymore. "Lie to me," she told him. As she watched the confusion spread across his features she took the lead. "Do you remember Paris?"

"Paris?"

"Yeah. It was the first place in the world you took to me see after I came to you. Remember?"

Klaus smiled down at her, now understanding what she meant. This he could do. This he was a master at. He lowered his forehead to touch hers for a moment and smirked at her. "Of course I remember Paris, sweetheart. It's where we shared our first kiss."

The corners of Caroline's eyes crinkled as her smile grew wider. He was playing along and she had never felt more grateful. "We kissed under the Eiffel tower."

He rolled his eyes but still smiled. "You wouldn't have it any other way." His hand smoothed over her curls and then settled on the side of her neck. "You know, if memory serves me correctly, today is our anniversary."

"Oh yeah?" she laughed, throwing her head back momentarily. "Remind me, how many years have we been together? You were always better at keeping track."

Klaus' faces turned serious. "Does it matter, love? You're mine."

She pressed her lips together and then she sucked in a staggered a breath. "You're right. It doesn't matter." She quickly wiped away a tear. "I'm yours and you're mine." She watched as his eyes glossed over and she lifted her hand to trace his jaw. "If it's our anniversary we should kiss."

She had never seen him so hopeful in that moment. "Absolutely," he responded, pulling her onto his lap and then finally, finally, after waiting three years, he was kissing her.

Caroline sighed into his kiss and she decided she wouldn't change anything about her life if it led to this moment in a cave with him. He kissed her powerfully, leisurely, passionately, and the moment seem to go on forever.

Klaus had dreamt of kissing her since the first day he saw her. The taste of her, the smell of her, but most of all the feeling of her lips on his, of her in his arms, was the best feeling he had ever experienced. He couldn't bring himself to stop. The longer he kissed her, the more terrified he grew of the end. It wasn't enough. The plans he had for them he would never be able to carry out and at that thought he kissed her harder, pulling her body tighter to his because he needed her. He loved her.

"I love you," he blurted out, gasping from their kiss. His abruptness wasn't at all like him. He had centuries that sculpted his mannerisms into elegant gestures and refined words but the End of it all forced him to just speak his thoughts. "I love you," he said again.

Caroline couldn't hold the tears back. She grabbed the sides of his face and brought his lips to rest against hers. She squeezed her eyes shut preparing for what she was about to say and her breath quickened. "Klaus." Her eyes met his. "I need you to know that all those times I pushed you away, I was just…I didn't mean…you know," she shook her head, "I knew I would be with you someday. I knew you were it for me and it just scared me because how could I possibly feel that way when I barely knew you but knew everything about you?" She kissed him hard then and she could tell she caught him off guard. When she pulled away she looked straight at him, "You living in Mystic Falls was the most terrifying year of my life and it was the best year of my life."

He closed his eyes at her words, letting them sink in because it was her most honest confession toward him. Without a thought he stole her lips again.

**:**

**:**

"The sun will be up soon," she whispered sleepily to him.

They were laying on the cave floor facing each other. Her head was resting on his arm and his hand was on her hip, their legs intertwined.

A while after kissing, they had laid down and reminisced over their pretend life they had together. He reminded her of all the places he had taken her and she reminded him of her favorite moments they had shared.

They cried and they laughed and they held each other, never looking away.

"Don't let me fall asleep."

The stones underneath them were uncomfortable but he ignored it. "Come here," he said, gathering her closer to him. He kissed her forehead. "Tell me. Did you enjoy our trip to Africa?"

"Africa?" Her eyebrows furrowed as if she was really trying to remember. "Yes. I liked that trip. I had never seen such a beautiful sunrise. Thank you for taking me there."

He nodded with a small smile. "And how about Spain? You really are a magnificent dancer, Caroline."

"You were the best teacher, Klaus."

"And—"

The ground shook beneath them, making Caroline hide her face in Klaus's chest. The earthquake only lasted a few seconds but it was enough to break their bubble they had created.

"I'm scared," she choked on her tears when she looked at him again.

His jaw tightened as he fought his own tears, "Don't be, love, we've been through worst."

"We have?"

"Yes of course. Remember when we missed our flight to Milan?"

She laughed through her frown. "Of course. That day really sucked."

He let out a breath of relief. His plan had worked at distracting her and they were in their bubble again.

**:**

**:**

"Caroline take my hand!" Klaus shouted at her.

The third earthquake shook their cave until the ground fell through and the walls came down. Klaus pulled Caroline out of the rubble and they ran through jagged corridors of the caves, each of their steps out of reach of the cave swallowing them.

When they made it out they looked around and noticed that nearly all of Mystic Falls had become a massive crater and Caroline screamed at the sight.

The sun was beginning to rise and they could feel the slight burn of it on their skin. There was nowhere to go, no place to hide. Nothing to stop what was happening.

"What do we do?"

Klaus for a second watched Caroline look at the rising sun and he knew this was it. This was the End. "Caroline," he said. "Caroline! Look at me, do you understand?" he yelled grabbing her face to look at him. "You only look at me."

"What do we do? What do we do?" she asked him frantically, choking on tears that wouldn't stop.

Grasping her shoulders he steadied her. "In my entire existence I have never known anyone more beautiful than you, Caroline. Every moment we've spent together, you were my world. You gave my life meaning. Do you understand?"

Caroline forced herself to nod. "Thank you for showing me the world. It was as beautiful as you promised."

The sun had barely risen but the heat seared into their bones and Caroline gritted her teeth before she spoke again.

"You were so good to me. And I, I love you," she said wincing. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she had never known a worse pain. "I love you."

Klaus had let his tears flow to their own accord and pulled her close. "You were my everything. Thank you, Caroline."

"Klaus?" She could barely see him as the light grew brighter and brighter.

"I'm here, I'm here, I've got you, I love you," he told her through the pain.

The world shook beneath them and Caroline held him tighter. He cradled her head to his chest and laid a kiss on her cheek.

This was it. They held each other tightly.

"I don't regret any of it!" she shouted against him as the sound of a breaking planet released into the atmosphere.

In that moment, that very last moment, the pain didn't matter. They were finally together. They had finally found

_(End)._

****I know. I was speechless after I finished, sorta not believing I was the one who created it. **

**If you want to laugh, go read my **_**Team Klaroline **_**OS, or if you want a quick happily-ever-after, might I suggest **_**A World without Light is not worth Forever.**_

**I wrote this as a challenge to myself. I wanted to see if I could write a romantic tragedy. I know it's more tragic than romantic but I had to do it. **

**Even though it was terrible and sad, please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts. **


	2. Chapter 2

Hi there!

I just wanted to take the time and thank those of you who have nominated this oneshot. I'm thrilled and totally flattered that **'Lie to Me' has been nominated for the 2013 Klaroline Awards for Best Angst Oneshot, **along with 'Heartless' by Clangwee, 'Lost in Waiting' by CBK1000, 'The Constant' by elijahsmanhood, 'The Nine Times He finds Her' by luludancing & angellus08, and 'The Promise' by melanoradrood.

I am honored to have been nominated alongside these talented writers so, again, thank you! I'm truly touched and proud to be a part of the Klaroline Family. I'm as much of a reader as I am a writer so to those of you who have taken the time to put these Awards together, THANK YOU. It is so heartwarming to see a large fanbase come together in celebration of a Ship we all love so much. I cannot imagine all the hard work it takes to put these Awards together so my deepest thanks to you all.

I encourage everyone to go check out the rest of the Nominees at **(klarolineawards {dot} tumblr {dot} com)** and vote. I know we all have our favorites but seriously take the time to check out all the nominations. Every one of these authors is very talented and, whether they update often or not, they are devoted. We wouldn't have such intriguing and enchanting stories without them so as a reader I am so grateful to what they have shared.

As a writer I am beyond thankful, touched, flattered, humbled, and utterly in love with everyone who has favorited/followed and reviewed my works. You all make me feel so loved and appreciated and I cannot express how that helps me in my personal life.

Congratulations to everyone who have been nominated. Be proud of yourself and please continue to write your heart out because this world is better for it.

With love and humbled thanks,

Melissa


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